Kevin Harvick has raised concerns over Ford’s ongoing issues after Wood Brothers Racing’s Josh Berry fought through a smoke-filled disaster during the 2025 Bass Pro Shops Night Race at Bristol.
Saturday night’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway was supposed to be a chance for Berry to turn his NASCAR Playoff fortunes around. Instead, his postseason ended dramatically and dangerously when his No. 21 Ford filled with smoke and caught fire before the end of stage one.
Why Does Kevin Harvick Sound the Alarm After Josh Berry’s Bristol Horror?
During the latest episode of his Happy Hour podcast, Harvick raised concerns over Ford’s ongoing fire issues after Berry’s car erupted in flames.
“Well, there’s something that hasn’t changed since I quit driving. The car, the Fords, still catch on fire,” Harvick said while analyzing the incident.
“So I think that with all the rubber and everything with their exhaust pipes and everything that they have going on, it sure seems like the Fords are definitely catching on fire a lot easier than the other two manufacturers with whatever they have.”
Harvick, who has frequently criticized the Next Gen car, called the Berry fire “a scary deal,” noting how the driver could barely see through the smoke as he attempted to pit.
“This is a scary deal right here. Josh rode this thing out for a while. You can see that he can’t see the pit stall. And being in that position before with it when it starts burning all the carbon fiber and the foam and everything that is right there at the exhaust pipes, it is nasty smoke,” added Harvick.
How Berry’s Playoff Nightmare Ended in Flames?
The fire was the latest misfortune in Berry’s short-lived playoff run. It began with a first-lap spin at Darlington, continued with a wreck at Gateway last week, and finally ended at Bristol when his Wood Brothers Ford caught fire before stage one was complete.
The streak of incidents meant Berry finished last in the first three playoff races, sealing his elimination from the postseason in his 2025 Cup campaign.
Beyond Berry’s Bristol blaze, the fire adds to a troubling pattern for Ford teams, who have experienced repeated fire-related failures since the introduction of the Next Gen car. While NASCAR has made adjustments to exhaust and underbody designs, Harvick and others argue that Ford’s cars remain more vulnerable than others.
Harvick’s warning that Ford “still catches on fire” underscores a larger concern across the garage: that the manufacturer’s mechanical reliability has fallen behind in a season where Toyota and Chevrolet have looked stronger.